BIEBER NOT TOO UPSET
Shane Bieber’s final start last season was rough. His first one in 2021 wasn’t too much better.
The AL Cy Young winner gave up four runs and didn’t make it through his scheduled two innings on Monday as the Cleveland Indians lost to the Kansas City Royals 8-6 in Goodyear, Ariz.
But while he wasn’t thrilled with his outing, Bieber wasn’t disappointed either. He committed to throwing certain pitches and working on areas he’d like to improve.
“There’s some positives to take away from today in learning how to shape the slider how I want to,” he said. “I started to figure it out in the second inning. I just got to look at the positives. It’s spring training. Go out there and get the next one.”
Bieber led the majors in wins, ERA and strikeouts last year, completing a rare triple crown during the pandemic while becoming Cleveland’s fifth Cy Young winner since 2007.
The right-hander was dominant until the playoffs, when the New York Yankees tagged him for seven runs in 42⁄3 innings in Game 1 of the wild-card round. The Indians were swept out of the wild-card round the next day.
Bieber’s arrival at camp was delayed after he tested positive for COVID-19. Last week, the 25-year-old said he was feeling fine and eager to build on his strong third season in the majors and erase the “sour taste” left by his postseason flop.
Bieber coasted through the first against Kansas City, retiring the Royals in order with former Indians first baseman Carlos Santana hitting a grounder for the final out with an uncharacteristic first-pitch swing.
“I looked at him and I said, ‘What’s wrong with you? You never do that,’ ” Bieber said. “He looked back and said, ‘spring training, bro.’ He was trying to punk me, that’s for sure.”
In the second, Jorge Soler and Michael Taylor singled before Emmanuel Rivera delivered a two-run double to center. Bieber bounced back with a pair of strikeouts, but Nick Heath hit a single to put the Royals up 3-0.
Bauer fares better
Trevor Bauer, pitching for the first time since signing a $102 million, three-year contract, debuted in Dodger blue with two scoreless innings in a 10-0 win over Colorado. He gave up one hit, struck out two, walked none and threw a wild pitch.
Bauer won the NL Cy Young Award with Cincinnati last year. The righthander threw sharp curveballs for his pair of strikeouts.
“All my pitches are pretty much where I want them to be,” Bauer said.
Los Angeles reliever Kenley Jansen struck out two in an inning.
Notable
Garrett Richards had gotten only one out during his first spring training start, loading the bases and walking in one run before the Red Sox stopped the inning after 23 pitches.
Then he went back out for a 1-2-3 second inning.
• Ryan Zimmerman appeared in a game for the first time in almost exactly a year — he sat out the pandemic-shortened 2020 regular season because of concerns about his family’s health — and hit one of Washington’s three consecutive homers off Houston righty Steve Cishek in the third inning.
• Albert Pujols went 2for-2 and drove in two runs, Shohei Otani got two hits and scored twice and Mike Trout had a hit and walk for Los Angeles. Angels newcomer Alex Cobb pitched a scoreless first.
• Major League Baseball has cleared the way for the return of in-game video on dugout iPads beginning on opening day, with catcher signals obscured by a computer program.